Scholar takes historian to court over false link to Sikh genocide and ex-PM Chandrashekhar

CHANDIGARH: Eminent Sikh scholar and retired IAS officer Gurtej Singh has initiated criminal defamation proceedings against noted Sikh historian Dr Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon and the owner of a local broadcaster, accusing them of falsely linking him to the Sikh genocide of 1984 through alleged proximity to former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar.
The allegations, made in a widely circulated video, have prompted a Chandigarh court to summon both the accused to face trial.
"From the averments in the complaint and the evidence produced on record by the complainant, there is sufficient ground to issue process against both the accused persons for commission of offences punishable under Sections 499 and 500 of IPC. Let the accused persons be summoned to their face trial under Sections 499 and 500 of IPC," the court has ordered.
The case, last heard on March 7, is listed for hearing on July 2.
Gurtej Singh, a resident of Chandigarh's Sector 8, is a respected figure in Sikh religious and academic circles. He has appeared as an expert on Sikh issues before the courts in India and at Birmingham in the UK.
In his complaint, he has described the video released in 2021 as "libellous, malicious and an attempt to assassinate his character," particularly objecting to the claim that he was close to Chandrashekhar — whom the accused wrongfully blamed for the Sikh genocide.
"This is a deliberate and dishonest attempt to mislead the Sikh community and tarnish my legacy," Singh has asserted in his petition, clarifying that not only did he resign from the IAS in 1982 — well before the Operation Bluestar in 1984 — but that Chandrashekhar himself had criticised the military operation in Parliament.
"He was one of the few voices who stood up for Sikh rights during that dark period," Gurtej Singh emphasised in his complaint. "By levelling these false allegations against the former PM, the accused has tried to create an absolutely false projection against the complainant to show that the complainant was in close association with those responsible for the Sikh genocide of 1984," he argued.
The video, originally aired on Sept 25, 2021, features Dr Dhillon's article in which he questions the timeline and motivation behind Gurtej Singh's resignation from the IAS. "You misled people to believe that you resigned in protest against Operation Bluestar," Dhillon stated, further alleging Gurtej Singh had been gaining recognition under this "false claim."
Strongly denying these allegations, Gurtej Singh has submitted in his complaint that he never made such a claim and has submitted articles dating back to 1983 to prove that his reasons for resignation were publicly declared well before the 1984 military operation.
The complaint also highlights a second alleged defamatory video posted on Oct 1, 2021, across social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube, in which the accused allegedly doubled down on their assertions by claiming that Singh was terminated from IAS. According to Gurtej Singh, the video was "deliberately produced and disseminated to cause irreparable harm to his personal and professional reputation." With his complaint, he also submitted a copy of his resignation from the IAS along with quite a few other documents. He has also rebutted other allegations leveled by Dr Dhillon.
A pen drive containing the controversial footage, accompanied by a certificate under Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act, has been submitted to the court as part of the evidence. Singh had also served a legal notice dated Oct 9, 2021, requesting the immediate removal of the video and a public apology — a request that, he claims, was ignored.
Who is complainant Gurtej Singh?
Gurtej Singh completed his Master's from Panjab University, Chandigarh, and later taught history at the university and other institutions. He joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1970, and after clearing the UPSC again in 1971, joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). Singh resigned from the IAS on Nov 20, 1982, and embarked on a second career as a writer, thinker, and authority on Sikh faith. In 1982, he was appointed Professor of Sikhism by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), a position he held until March 15, 2005. He has also authored several books.